The PG Era Rant for AEW Elevation Episode 24 (“We Had The Building And The Time”), August 19, 2021.
From Houston, TX.
Your hosts are Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight, who make it clear this is promoting Rampage: The First Dance.
I’m going into this flying blind, and AEW hasn’t released anything resembling a card on social media yet, but their thumbnail and video title say Daniel Garcia takes on Matt Sydal in the main event, plus Santana/Ortiz, Private Party, Nyla Rose, Emi Sakura, and more! So let’s enjoy this together, shall we?
(Author’s note: No, not “more”. That was it. Just those five matches.)
Opening match: Santana and Ortiz (5-3) vs. Warren Johnson and Zack Mason (0-1). Dasha’s on ring announcing again. Decent pop for Santana and Ortiz. The “other guys” are wearing matching tights.
Johnson knocks Santana off the apron to start, and Mason then trips Ortiz as they double-team him. Santana pulls Mason out and SUPERKICKs him, while in the ring, Ortiz gets a dropkick on Johnson. Back elbow by Ortiz, then an avalanche, and Santana comes in. Ortiz sends Johnson into a Rock Bottom by Santana, who then leaps off of Ortiz’s back for a moonsault for two, Mason saves. Ortiz gets slugged, but Santana tosses Mason and dropkicks him through the ropes. Johnson recovers and tries a back suplex, but Santana escapes and PnP get the G9 for the pin at 2:01. Barely anything. 1/4*
All Out ad.
Nyla Rose (w/Vickie Guerrero) (18-4) vs. Steff MK (w/Ashley MK) (0-2). Steff is one-half of a Polynesian twin team that I’m guessing is part of the Factory crew. Please, please, PLEASE don’t give Vickie a mic after the match – she doesn’t have one now.
Nyla pounds the back of Steff after a dropstep, then gets a Hammer Throw and avalanche. Nyla boxes Steff down and gets shoulder rams to the gut, then ducks a clothesline and lands a neckbreaker. She hangs Steff on the top rope and goes up, and the guillotine kneedrop follows. Nyla poses with Vickie, so the MK Twins do the switcheroo and Ashley gets a small package for two. Headbutt, but Nyla kicks her down and gets the Beast Bomb to win at 1:42. So she basically won a handicap match. NR Nyla realizes she may have pinned the wrong twin, so just to be safe she gives Steff a Beast Bomb onto Ashley.
And now, for your sanity and mine, I’m muting Vickie’s rant.
Emi Sakura (1-1) vs. Madi Wrenckowski (3-5). Okay, this has a chance to be good. Sakura is doing a royalty gimmick, since someone said her gimmick was being Queen and Tony Khan misunderstood. Poor Madi doesn’t even get an entrance.
Madi shoves Emi to start, so Emi slaps her back and chops her. She twists the heck out of Madi’s hair before yanking her down by it, then throws Madi again by the hair, sending her spinning. She sets up a Romero Stretch by raking Madi’s back, then when she hooks it, bends Madi into a chinlock with the Stretch! Emi releases on her own, which allows Madi to fight back. X Factor by Madi, but a blind charge misses and Emi chops away in the corner. We Will Rock You clap sets up a corner crossbody, and the double underhook backbreaker gets two. Emi chops away, adding a lariat to floor Madi, and La Majistral into a dragon sleeper gets the win at 2:48. Pretty good showing. 3/4*
Private Party vs. Will Allday and Ace Stone. Sorry, my internet went out due to storms and I missed the intros for this match.
Kassidy and Allday start. Kassidy refuses Code of Honor and beats Allday into a gooey paste before stomping away. Lariat follows, then a corner clothesline as Quen is in. Kassidy cuts out Stone, dropkicking him off the apron, and Private Party get a do-si-do clothesline and Poetry in Motion. Gin and Juice follows for the win at 1:43. Stone did nothing. NR
Milwaukee is the next host of a double shot, next week!
Main Event (okay, fine): Daniel Garcia (1-3) vs. Matt Sydal (11-4). So basically they taped some stuff and they’re burning it right now. Just five matches tonight? Well, it’s a bonus episode, so I won’t complain too loudly. Meanwhile, Garcia has Jon Moxley tomorrow. This is exactly the level of match Garcia needs to have credibility.
Discussion to start. Lockup, and Sydal changes a headlock into a wristlock, but Garcia escapes with a Saito roll. We reset, and Sydal goes for a single-leg, but Garcia gets the headlock and we go International~!. Garcia re-applies the headlock, but Sydal shoves him off and gets a rana and armdrag. Hammer throw and back elbow, but Garcia with a whip reversal into a chop for two. Garcia with the bow-and-arrow, but Sydal falls on top for two. Garcia recovers with a suplex for one. Sydal gets a sunset flip for one, but Garcia grabs the leg and gets a half-crab. Sydal makes the ropes.
Garcia with an uppercut and forearm in the corner, but Sydal ducks another and gets a Lightning Spiral-type pinning predicament for one before he gets his own bow-and-arrow. Sydal emphasizes it with a stomp as he breaks it. Sydal with calf kicks, but Garcia fires back with wicked chops. Sydal slips out of a suplex and gets the Slice for two. Standing mariposa gets two. Sydal wants to put Garcia up top, but Garcia blocks and lariats Sydal. He drops the weight on the small of Sydal’s back, following up with forearms to the kidneys and elbows to the spine. It gets one.
Garcia with a seated surfboard, including kicks to the back, getting two. Garcia takes a moment to gameplan, but he may have taken too long because it’s a slugfest. Sydal with a flying kick and he ducks a clothesline to get a leg lariat. Garcia slides out the back of a fireman’s carry, but Sydal recovers with a fisherman’s brainbuster for two. Sydal goes back to the calves, then gets a roundhouse kick for two. Sydal puts Garcia in position and goes up, but Garcia vavoids the middle-rope moonsault and tangles Sydal in the ropes. Backbreaker by Garcia sets up the Sharpshooter with some SERIOUS back bridging for the win at 7:59. If Garcia has any personality whatsoever, he’s going to be a big deal. **1/4
RAMPAGE!
- Jon Moxley vs Daniel Garcia
- Private Party vs Jurassic Express
- Jade Cargill vs Kiera Hogan
- And maybe someone shows up, I dunno.
STATS
BELL-TO-BELL – 16:13 over five matches (average time 3:15)
MATCH OF THE NIGHT – Garcia/Sydal
THREE STARS:
- Daniel Garcia
- Emi Sakura
- Matt Sydal
Okay, I can think of worse uses of a half-hour. Just mute Vickie.